My Protector
by Midnight Secret
Summary: Muggleborns have always been targeted, and Hermione knows this. It is her 7th year and it is happening again. When a muggle is found during Halloween, Dumbledore takes things into his hands. Will Hermione survive being with her "protector" to see the end
1. The Beginning

My Protector

A.N: I don't own Harry Potter nor the characters... Thanks :)

Chapter 1: The Beginning

A pair of eyes watched out of the window, the countryside zooming pass and going into the past. Locks of brown settled lightly upon their owner's shoulders. A tongue slowly went across the soft pink lips of the beholder. Seventh Year. This was to be Hermione Granger's seventh and final year at Hogwarts. She really didn't know what she was feeling about the year to come. Harry was still emotionally wounded on the inside due to his God Fathers death. Hermione tried to comfort him, and he was always happy it seemed but deep down he couldn't get passed it. Hermione sighed and rested her head against the window. How would this year be? Would it be quiet like the year before, or would it end up with a lot of fighting and death like the year before that? So many questions ran through her head that she couldn't get straight. She felt like crying while she tried to straighten out all the things in her head.

"Hermione," came a gentle voice from the doorway of the compartment. Hermione blinked some, and wiped her eyes hoping whoever it was didn't see. She looked up and noticed Harry standing there with some red hair sticking out from behind him. "Are you okay Hermione?" asked Harry as he and Ron made their way into the compartment. She smiled as her friends settled in.

"Yes," was all she said, the smile becoming truer and truer.

"We saw you looking like you were down Hermione so thats why we asked." said Ron, smiling the silly Weasley smile.

"I just have a lot on my mind right now... this is our last year here at Hogwarts," commented Hermione, sighing softly. Her eyes went distant as all the thoughts began to squirm their way into her mind. A soft hand grabbed hers and she looked up. Harry squeezed her hand gently and smiled.

"Don't worry about it Mione. Just don't think about it and you won't be so stressed." Hermione smiled at him. She was happy she had so many nice friends. This year couldn't possible go wrong.

The sorting ceremony went by smoothly and so did the introduction of the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. It was a middle aged female with long blonde hair and ruby colored eyes. Dumbledore had introduced her as Professor Necia Kamaria. Most of the male students couldn't take their eyes off her. Hermione rolled her eyes and whispered to Ginny, "Boys," and began to giggle a bit. Ginny giggled as well, nodding in agreement.

"Did you see Professor Kamaria? She is so cute!" exclaimed Ron in the common room. Harry laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Ronald Weasley, she's probably old enough to be your mother. She most likely has had several magical face lifts to keep her looking that young," said Hermione as she read her book in one of the big comfy chairs. Harry just laughed as he leaned back in the chair. Ron made a pouty face and looked at Hermione.

"You're just jealous of her," he said, crossing his arm. Hermione looked at him surprised.

"Jealous of her? You must be kidding me," Hermione looked up from her book and rolled her eyes. _Me, jealous of her, I don't think so. _ She though to herself.

"Lay off her Ron. It's time for bed. See you guys tomorrow." said Harry, pushing himself up from the chair. He made his way to the boys rooms and disappeared. Ron followed Harry, shouting a quick _goodbye_ to Hermione. She was left alone in the common room, everyone had turned in for the night. She gently closed her book and sat it to the side. She was alone... She sighed softly and curled up in the chair. She looked into the fire and sighed. She didn't want the year to end, she wanted to be a child at Hogwarts forever. She just stared at the fire, lost in her thoughts until she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into their first class, and double class, of the day. Defense Against The Dark Arts. Ron rubbed the back of his neck at the thought of their new teacher. Harry shook his head and Hermione elbowed him in the side. As the group came upon their old table they noticed platinum hair sticking out from their seats. Hermione walked up and tapped the person on the shoulder.

"Excuse me... Malfoy," she said, as the person turned around, "but you are in our seat." she finished.

"Thats funny, I didn't know your names were written on this seat, but if you insist," Draco got up and moved over to the next seat. "There you go, the seat is all yours. I suggest Potter being on the bottom so Ron can get the full effect of you sitting on top of him. We all know that is his fantasy after all," Draco said with a hint of laughter in his voice. Ron went red and Hermione stood in front of him before he could attack Draco.

"Listen Malfoy, I'm warning you, you better move. Go sit with your stupid bunch and leave us alone. You know darn well we've sat here since first year, you have no right in taking our seats away from us. So if you could move..." Hermione said, trying not to raise her voice. They were already being watched, but most of the Gryffindors were kindly ignoring it. The Slytherins, on the other hand, were snickering between themselves, wondering who would go to the hospital wing first this year. Draco got up from his seat and looked down at Hermione.

"And what are you going to do about it..." he began then said harshly but like a whisper, "you filthy little mudblood?" Hermione's ears rang, and tears began to threat her eyes. She gritted her teeth and pulled out her wand.

"Don't you dare..." she said harshly. Draco just smiled a wicked smile down at her. Before she could start a spell a hand was on both of their shoulders. Hermione looked up and Draco jerked his head up to see who had done it. Professor Kamaria looked down at her two students.

"Is there anything wrong here?" her voice was sweet yet powerful.

"No professor.. nothing is wrong," Draco's voice rang.

"Then please, take your seat. You three also take your seats, class is about to start." Draco walked passed Hermione, glaring down at her as he did. She glared back and sat down. Harry sat next to her and Ron sat next to him, his face still a little red. Harry leaned over and whispered, "Are you alright?" Hermione wiped the few tears from her redden eyes and nodded.

Professor Kamaria stood at the front of her class. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes looked around the room.

"Gryffindor and Slytherin, it is such a joy to have two rivaling houses together for two periods in the same room... I'm surprised that you guys have not killed each other in the last six years during your classes, I'm impressed." she said, a smile coming across her face.

"I was almost killed third year by a stupid Hippogriff that was friends with Potter," spoke Draco as several Slytherins snickered among themselves. Ron looked over at him.

"Shut up you bouncing ferret. Come see Malfoy, the bouncing ferret," retorted Ron, a smile on his face. The Gryffindors grinned while some started to chant _bouncing ferret_ over and over again softly. Draco got up and slammed his hands on the desk. Ron stood up as well and glared at Draco.

"Excuse me, but I'm trying to teach a class here. Five points from Gryffindor and ten points from Slytherin for starting the whole ordeal. Now, please take your seats now so I may go over some classroom rules as if you were mere children." said Professor Kamaria, her voice loud and demanding. Ron slowly sat down, as did Draco. Draco fixed his robes and leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest and a pout on his face. Hermione glanced over at him. His eyes met hers and a glare covered his eyes. Hermione exchanged the same glance and looked back up at the Professor. This was not going to be a peaceful year, not at all.

The class slowly made their way out of the classroom. Ron was laughing at what happened earlier, calling Draco a ferret. Harry laughed as well, Hermione smiling. They made their way to a bench and sat down. They had some time before the next class so they thought they'd talk about the new teacher.

"She is a really good teacher, I like her. But did you see the face on Draco when I called him a ferret? Bloody hell, it was brilliant!" exclaimed Ron, loosening his tie.

"That was brilliant Ron, it was classic." said Harry, smiling and patting his friend on the back. Hermione giggled and smiled.

"That was good, he deserved it." she said.

"Weasley!" shouted a voice. The three looked up and noticed furious Draco making his way toward them, some of his Slytherin friends behind him. Ron stood up, Harry and Hermione following him. Draco walked toward them, one side of his robes drooping over his shoulder. He glared at Ron. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Embarrassing a Malfoy like that in class? I should have your arse for that." Draco hissed, fixing his robes.

"Really Malfoy? Bring it you little arse," spat Ron. Before Ron knew it, a hard fist had slammed into his cheek. He stumbled back, his hand on his cheek. Hermione and Harry checked to see if he was alright, but he got away from them and punched Draco in the face. Draco stumbled back and touched his cheek. He laughed.

"Do you think that will help you Weasley? That was pathetic. I must admit, Granger hits harder than your sorry butt," cracked Draco, laughing. Ron tried to lunge at Draco, but Harry held him back.

"Settle down Ron, just leave him." he said.

"Harry's right, this filth doesn't need your time," said Hermione. Ron's body relaxed and Harry started to remove his arms. Right as he did, Ron lunged at Draco, getting him on the other cheek with his fist. Draco retorted, his fist hitting Ron directly in the nose. Hermione and Harry tried to break them apart, Harry pushing Ron away and Hermione pushing Draco away. Ron tried to get to Draco, shouting "Let me go! Let me finish his arse off! Lemmie go!" Draco was pushing against the struggling Hermione and finally just pushed her to the side, Hermione hitting the ground.

"Get out of the damn way you mudblood!" he shouted. "You are such an annoyance, go fight your own battles! You to Potter!" Hermione laid on the ground, her one arm under her and her other in front of her face. She closed her eyes, trying not to let Draco's insults get to her. She had blocked them all out since first year but she didn't understand why they were effecting her now. Dirt began to get under her nails as she began to grasp the dirt. She pushed herself off the ground and looked over at Draco. His face was red with anger, his chest heaving up and down. Harry was holding Ron back from tearing Draco's head off. Suddenly a Slytherin shouted that a teacher was coming. Draco fixed his robes.

"Until next time Weasley... Potter..." Draco looked down at Hermione. "Granger." He turned around, his robes whipping behind him as he stormed away. Hermione let out a choked sob, her hand letting go of the earth. She set her head down her on arm and the tears began to flow. She hated Draco... she hated him so much. Why did he have to pick a fight with everyone? She wanted to hurt him, strangle him, something! Her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back the tears. A gentle hand gently slid under her and the other hand settled on her shoulder. She felt her body being lifted into a sitting position. She looked up and a pair of green eyes stared down at her.

"Are you okay Hermione? Did he hurt you?" Harry asked.

"If he hurt you, I'll perform the Killing Curse on him." retorted Ron, kneeling next to Hermione. Hermione sighed and smiled.

"I'm fine guys, you don't need to worry about it, I just got the wind knocked out of me. The good thing is that you both have your limbs. What were you thinking Ron? Taking on Draco like that, you could have had your head taken off for goodness sakes! Who knows what type of dark magic he knows!" she exclaimed. Ron's face went red and Harry just laughed. He hugged Hermione and helped her up.

"Well its good to see that you're still you," Harry said, smiling. Hermione giggled and they made their way to Charms class, glad that they had it with Ravenclaw and not Slytherin.

The Main Hall was full of chatter about the first day of school. Many first years were already complaining about Professor Snape and potions class, all but the Slytherins of course, they only praised him. Word got around fast that the head girl, Hermione, was being pushed around by one of the Prefects earlier. They all knew it had to be Draco Malfoy, Hermione got along with everybody but him. Hermione had to shield herself from many stares. She was head girl yet she let people walk all over her. She couldn't stand the snickers from the Slytherins, especially Draco. She poked at her food as she replayed the day through her head.

At the teachers table, Professor Kamaria ate quietly. She had had a pleasant first day except that her first class. She remembered the whole ordeal that went on between the rivaling houses. She was going to have to take special care of that class... and she hoped it wouldn't suppress her to much.

"So how was your first day Necia?" asked Professor McGonagall. Professor Kamaria set her fork down and patted her mouth with her napkin.

"It went very well Professor McGonagall. All my classes were well behaved.. except..."

"Except what dear?"

"My first class.. With seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin... It was a disaster.." Necia rubbed her head, the thought giving her a migraine. "But after I settled them down, they behaved... They didn't read the chapters they were suppose to over the summer though. Only one student knew the answers. It was kind of annoying actually..." Her voice fell a little flat and annoyed. She liked it when people knew the answers, but when it was the same kid...

"Let me guess, it was Miss Granger, am I right?" asked McGonagall, finishing her meal. Necia gave a nod towards her. She didn't want to continue talking about classes, she just wanted to return to her room so she could sort her thoughts on the matters that really mattered to her... and not mere child's play. McGonagall turned away from the new teacher and looked towards Dumbledore. She began to whisper softly towards him.

"Do you think it wise to have this woman as a teacher here? She is a little young to be a full professor... and you never did check her record..." Dumbledore held his hand up.

"Speak no more Professor, I know what I am doing..." he said. _I just hope that this feeling inside of me is telling me wrong..._

Hermione sat to the side on the grass, reading a book. The gentle wind played with her hair as she listened to the chatter of the Gryffindor quidditch players doing plays and practicing in the air above us. She turned the page, her eyes reading over the text quickly, her mind remembering everything she read. History was one of her favorite subjects, that and Charms. She felt a quick wind go past her and she looked up just in enough time to see a red blur go by her. She followed the blur until it came to a stop.

"Good job Harry!" cried Ron, his feet touching the ground. "Took you fifteen minutes that time." Harry grinned, a golden ball in his hand.

"Lets continue to practice, I want us to get this play right," said Ginny, hovering in the air.

"I think not," said a voice. A green blob slowly stopped, facing off against the red blob.

"What do _you_ want Malfoy?" asked Ron, his eyes glaring at the platinum blonde.

"It is our time for the field Weasley, or have you forgotten how to tell time?" spat Draco, his team nodding and agreeing behind him.

"We have this field until five, we have a half hour left," said Harry, his green eyes staring in to the un-compassionate ones of his enemy.

"Well we want it now, we don't want to miss dinner because you decided to be greedy and take the field for two hours," said a Slytherin beater,

"Make us Malfoy," said Harry, his broom hitting the grass.

"Gladly," growly Draco. Hermione continued to watch the scene until she saw the two figures advance upon each other. She quickly got up.

"You guys stop it!" she shouted.

"Stay out of this 'Mione, Malfoy shouldn't be pushing us around like this. He deserves his arse to be beaten," said Ron as Harry and Draco almost reach each other. Hermione ran and slid between the two. She felt her body become a sandwich.

"Harry stop it!" she cried and felt her back become free while her front was still captured.

"Hermione," said Harry, looking at the girl in his arms.

"You shouldn't be fighting! Let them have the field," she said, her blue eyes pleading into his green.

"'Mione, are you crazy?" spat Ron.

"Well, well, well, does it look like the little mudblood is slowly defying her friends and standing up for the big, bad Slytherins?" asked Draco, a grin upon his face. Hermione turned around and glared at Draco.

"Just because I'm standing up for you Malfoy, doesn't mean a dang thing. Fighting over a field is clearly stupid. Now if you excuse us, we are going to clean up so we can be presentable at dinner and not look like _ferrets_ that have been dragged in the dirt." said Hermione, turning and grabbing Harry's hand then Ron's, and dragging them to the Gryffindor Locker Rooms while the rest of the team followed. Draco watched as they walked away and threw it broom down.

"That damn little mudblood... one of these days..." he growled.


	2. My Protector

Chapter 2: My Protector

Halloween slowly crept upon the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Halloween was always a great time of year at the castle, just as any other holiday, but they were especially drawn to this holiday. None knew why, maybe because of the thought of Halloween, or maybe because they knew something usually happened on that day and brought excitement to the dull lives of some of the students.

The feast began as usual, Dumbledore said a funny little speech (something about lemon drops and pumpkin pies) and the food magically appeared. The main hall was filled with chatter and laughing. Hermione laughed as Ron choked on a piece of ham, Harry slapping him in the back. Sarah Melindi, a first year Gryffindor, sat next to Hermione, her eyes traveling around the table.

"Hey, um... Hermione," said the first year quietly, still a little uneasy to talk to her tutor. Hermione looked at Sarah and smiled.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Have you seen Ashton? I haven't seen her since last period." said Sarah, rubbing her arm. Hermione shook her head, not seeing the first year since lunch that afternoon. "I'm gonna go see if she fell asleep in her room, she did that last week," Sarah said, getting up from the table and exiting the hall.

"God Ron! Not again!" cried Harry, laughing at the red head who, once again, choked on his dinner from laughing to much at one of his fellow quidditch players. Hermione shook her head.

"Maybe you should try laughing after you eat Ron," said Hermione, smiling.

No one knew when it happened, but all of a sudden the doors opened and a first year Gryffindor ran into the Great Hall and fell down next to the Gryffindor table, her hand on Hermione's robe. Hermione looked down, as well as many spectators watched as well.

"Sarah?" asked Hermione, her face confused.

"Ashton... Ashton!" she choked, her eyes bloodshot. A bony hand rested upon the first year's shoulder. Sarah looked up. "He...headmaster," she stuttered.

"Show me where Ashton is," said Dumbledore. The shaky girl got up and hurried out of the hall, Dumbledore and the rest of the school close behind.

They made their way up to the Gryffindor dormitories but stopped in the hall leading to it. There... there lay a muddle of black, white, red, gold, and light brown. Dumbledore walked over to the mess and knelt next to it.

"Is she... is she..." muttered Sarah, staring down at her best friend.

"No, she is alive though and must be taken to the doctor at once." Dumbledore said as a nearby teacher picked up Ashton and walked away quickly. Dumbledore turned to the students and gave a fake smile. "Do not worry my children, she had a fever she probably came down with a dizzy spell and passed out. Please, return to your rooms and have a good nights rest," addressed Dumbledore, turning from the students.

"Are you mad Albus?" asked McGonagall quietly, grabbing the robes of the headmaster. "You know this is work of unknown evil... You know it... I told you at the beginning..."

"Please Minerva, I am need of rest in my chamber, we shall continue this discussion later. Goodnight," Dumbledore knew McGonagall was right... she was almost always right. He didn't what he could do... should he travel his heart or his mind? He hoped that this would be the only one to fall to the hands of something unknown to him...

"Poor Ashton... sick..." said Ginny.

"Rubbish... Dumbledore was lying..." said Hermione, looking at the spot where Ashton had been moments earlier.

"What are you saying Hermione?" asked Ron.

"I told you all!" cried Draco, heads turning and people stopping in their tracks. "Ashton was a filthy little mudblood. This happened years ago and it is happening again! You better watch out."

"Shove off Malfoy," said Hermione, shoving past him to get to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Watch out Granger. This time, you might not make it out alive." Hermione stopped in her tracks. What was he talking about? Second year she had only been stunned... petrified... they all had been cursed. "This time, Potter won't be able to save you..." The words traveled like spikes down her spine. "Or any of you stupid muggle borns! The purification has begun!" Laughter rang in Hermione's ears before she entered the Gryffindor room. She slowly sank into a chair, her gaze toward the fire. Was Draco right? Was someone else out to get the muggle children? Was he in it? She wouldn't doubt that Draco's father had something to do with such a plan... but...

"Hermione... Hermione please wake up!" cried a voice. Eyelids fluttered before they opened. Everything was a blur as she slowly came to her senses. All of the Gryffindors were around her, their eyes focused on her.

"What?" she asked softly, her voice cracking. She felt a hand upon her knee and a hand grasping hers.

"Oh 'Mione! We all came in and we thought you were..." said Ron, squeezing Hermione's hand.

"That is true," said Harry, patting the knee of his friend. "We thought what Malfoy said might actually be true... so we panicked a bit." Hermione let out a little laugh.

"When did you start to listen to Malfoy?" she asked softly. She must have fallen asleep, lost in her thoughts once again. It was late, and the day had been long. "Thank you for worrying about me. I'm fine," she said, a small little smile upon her pink lips.

The next week went by awfully slow. Everyday, Sarah spent all her free time next to Ashton. The doctor said they thought she was getting better... no one believed her though.

Christmas flew by and before they knew it, February was upon them. There had been no disturbances but Ashton was no longer on the bed... oh no... she had died and no one could understand why. It was grim for a long time at the school, and Sarah was taking it extremely hard. And then one day... one day broke the camel's back.

"AHHHHHH!" screamed a first year Slytherin, her back against the wall, her hazel eyes wide with fright. A group of people raced toward her, everyone and anyone who were walking around in the corridors before dinner.

"What is it?" asked Ginny, pushing her way through the crowd. She stopped. "Cierra... Cierra what happened?" asked Ginny. The Slytherin girl shook violently as she looked at her two friends laying on the ground, not moving, as was Ashton four months before...

Dumbledore stood in front of the whole school, his eyes usually full of jolliness was filled with determination. The Great Hall was silent.

"With the current attacks on muggle born children, the staff and I have created a buddy system that will hopefully try to stop these attacks... We have paired each muggle born with a full blooded wizard or a half blood due to the lack of full blooded wizards. You each will get a special key and in the past couple of weeks we have made special rooms for the muggle borns. You will attend classes but you will always travel in packs. After dinner, you must report to your room with your partner and stay in that room. You will be able to send letters to your friends through a special mailing system we have designed for you... You will basically become best friends with your partner until we can stop this evil. If we cannot stop this evil... we will shut down the school until we find it safe for our students to learn and study." explained Dumbledore. Harsh whispers spread through the hall. Who were they going to be paired up with? Was it going to be someone they knew? Someone they hated? Someone they had a crush on? The thoughts stopped as Dumbledore clapped his hands.

"Once you return to your rooms you will have a special key that only you will be able to make out. No one else in your room will be able to see it. There will be instructions on how to use it and you shall venture into your new little room. I warn you, they don't have much room, just a bed, small table and a chair. Your things will already be in your new room. You will also meet your _protector_ I guess you'd call it. Become friends with them for they are the ones who are suppose to protect you from danger. With that said, lets eat," said Dumbledore, the sparkle in his eye back now that the bad news was done with. Yet, the room wasn't as cheery as Dumbledore would like...

"Who do you think your partner will be?" asked Ron, eating his meal slowly, his eyes watching his friends.

"I don't know, I hope it is someone I can get along with," said Harry, pushing his glasses up as he talked. Hermione just picked at her food. She didn't want to be protected, she could protect herself. This arrangement made her feel awfully uncomfortable. This new threat... little rooms... a protector... It was starting to turn into a fairytale if she had ever seen one.

"'Mione!" Hermione looked up, her two friends looking at her. "'Mione, are you alright?" asked Ron, his eyes looking worriedly at her.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Your eyes are bloodshot... are you sure you aren't letting this deal get to your head? You heard Dumbledore, the people who look after you are suppose to check up on you at night and be in your pack. They aren't living with you or anything, which is a good thing." explained Harry, a little smile on his face. Hermione nodded. He was right... they were just there to make sure she was fine and not in the line of danger.

The room was bare looking for two of the five that slept in the room were muggle born children. Hermione walked to her bed, a white envelope laying there waiting to be opened. She sat upon her bed and opened it. Inside was a piece of paper that read...

_Hello Ms Granger, so glad you could open this. As you know you are in danger, as is the rest of the Muggle born children. Your key is your teddy bear that is always under your pillow. If you touch that, you and the teddy will disappear and you shall be in your room with your **protector**, if that is what you want to call them. You shall be checked up regularly by your buddy on a regular basis. Sometime the buddy will decide when they see you, or the key will and bring them forth. They should check up on your three times before bed and should see you to your first class and then back to your house dormitory after dinner or your secret passage way to get to your room. Your secret entrance is down the hall from your dormitory. There, you will see a picture of a beautiful lady in white. Say **Goddess** and you shall be allowed in. Only use this passage if you have to get to your room as quickly as possible and if no one is around. Anyone will be able to get into your room if you let your password slip, so keep it in your mind and not on paper. I wish you luck and safety to you and your protector._

_Signed, _

_Dumbledore_

Hermione set the letter down and looked around her room. No one had bother to come up yet, they were still in the common area of the house to talk and play games before bed. Hermione saw her teddy bear and touched it. Ginny opened the door, a smile upon her face.

"Hey Hermione! Ron is trying to shove beans up his nose, you need to tell him to stop," giggled Ginny. She blinked. "Hermione? 'Mione?!" Hermione wasn't there.

The room was a blur and it took several seconds for her eyes to adjust. Hermione looked around, seeing where she was at. It was a small room decorated in gold and silver colors. It was a small room, as Dumbledore said, and was quite cozy. She sat upon her bed and gave a sigh. She felt alone and unwanted, being locked up in a room that only her _protector_ could get into. She let out a small sigh and grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. Why... why must she be alone? Small tears slid down her cheeks as she sighed a small sigh.

"Granger?" came a voice. Hermione froze. She slowly looked up to see a platinum blonde haired boy standing in front of her. That was him... her protector.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed these two chapters of my story. I know, Harry Potter and a Fruits Basket lover, what is the world coming too... lol I hope to get the next chapter written for this and Cherry Blossoms. That is it for now, tootles!


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